Amended Eyre Peninsula Water Allocation Plan finalised
An amended Eyre Peninsula Water Allocation Plan for managing groundwater resources for the next decade, has been approved and is now finalised for implementation from 1 July 2026.
Managed by the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board – which has undertaken an extensive review of the current Water Allocation Plan for Southern Basins and Musgrave Prescribed Wells Areas – the plan outlines how groundwater resources will be sustainably managed and shared across community, industry, environmental and cultural needs.
Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board’s Acting General Manager, Seb Drewer, says the updated plan sets a clear direction for sustainable water management across the region.
“The plan has been informed by extensive consultation with community, industry, Aboriginal organisations and stakeholders, and we thank everyone who had input,” Mr Drewer says.
“The amended Water Allocation Plan was revised in response to growing pressures on groundwater resources, including declining rainfall, falling water levels and increasing salinity risks, as shown by data from the Department for Environment and Water (DEW).
“This updated plan now provides a way forward, balancing environmental protection, community values and economic productivity in a changing climate.”
Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board Program Manager Water, Andrew Solomon, says the new Water Allocation Plan reflects significant changes in groundwater conditions since the previous 2016 plan and introduces measures to ensure use is sustainable under a changing climate.
“Groundwater resources in the Southern Basins (Port Lincoln to Coffin Bay) and the Musgrave area (around Elliston) are critical to the region, supplying public water, irrigation and industry, as well as supporting environmental and cultural values,” Mr Solomon says.
“Importantly, the Plan does not change access to water for stock and domestic use, or for environmental and cultural purposes.
“However, long-term reductions in rainfall and increasing temperatures have reduced groundwater recharge, leading to declining water levels and increasing salinity risks, particularly in coastal areas where seawater intrusion can threaten freshwater supplies.
“The science is clear that groundwater in some areas is under pressure. This plan takes a practical and measured approach to protect these resources while continuing to support the communities and industries that rely on them.”
To address these risks, the plan introduces stronger monitoring and risk management requirements for larger water users, including mandatory Risk Management and Monitoring Plans that set triggers and actions to protect the resource, users and the environment.
Licensed extraction has been reduced in parts of the Southern Basins to support long-term sustainability, with further changes to public water supply sources, including:
- Closure of the Uley Wanilla and Lincoln South groundwater resources
- A reduction in the Uley South basin extraction limit from 7.3 to 3.5 gigalitres per year from July 2027.
SA Water will be able to extract up to 6.3 gigalitres from the Uley South groundwater resource in 2026-2027. Reduced groundwater availability in following years will be supported by completion of the Port Lincoln desalination plant. This major infrastructure investment will provide a climate-independent source of water for Eyre Peninsula.
The Plan also introduces a simpler allocation system, aimed at improving certainty for some licence holders by reducing year-to-year variability and maintaining minimum allocations in other areas, where conditions allow.
“This plan is about striking the right balance by protecting our groundwater for the long term, while providing as much certainty as possible for water users in a variable climate,” Mr Solomon says.
There are 20 licence holders in the Southern Basins and 7 in the Musgrave area, including SA Water who are responsible for public water supply.
Any changes to licences as a result of the updated Plan, are issued by DEW.
Implementation of the plan will begin from 1 July 2026, with the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board continuing to work closely with water users and the broader community to deliver local outcomes.
This amended plan replaces the 2016 version. With the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 requiring a comprehensive review of water allocation plans at least once every 10 years, it’s expected this new 2026 plan will be reviewed by 2035.
